All About Pocket Knives

doglegg wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 1:41 pm Tom, I'm a Merlin user. Every once in a while it will give a false ID but 99% of the time its right. And it hears better than me. And helps with figuring out what I'm looking at as well.

I should give it a try. I have a hard time hearing the high pitched bird calls.

My daughter uses it with great results. I doubt it would work on my old flip phone.

Ray

Merlin user here. It’s great and has taught me how to recognize the songs of many birds. I have heard them but previously never knew what bird was making that sound. The frustration sometimes is sighting the birds it hears. Sometimes they are way up in tops of trees or in bushes and therefore hard to see. The app helps with that too because in the description of each bird it often tells where to look for them. Good binoculars help!

Some other features of the app is with some birds it’s more than just identifying their songs and calls. It can identify different woodpackers by their unique pecking sounds, and hummingbirds by the sound of their wings’ humming rhythms.

In the app you can easily set up and keep your personal “life list” of birds you identify. So far I’m up to 48 different species, all without leaving home. Found one new one, the Red-eyed Vireo, just yesterday. The app prompted me to “look up. They’re usually high up in the tree tops.”

Ken

Bluebirds are working on their third brood in the box nearest our house. Here’s the female sitting on her brood. Two hatched yesterday. She was home when I opened the box this afternoon so don’t know how many chicks there are today. The other picture is one of the juveniles from a prior hatch bringing food to the nest box.

Ken

I saw the bluebird parents leave the nest box on a foraging trip so I opened the box to check, and took this picture. Looks like four recently hatched chicks. Previous broods this year had 6 chicks so I’ll be surprised if this is not the last brood this year for this pair.

Ken

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Thu Jul 17, 2025 1:40 am I saw the bluebird parents leave the nest box on a foraging trip so I opened the box to check, and took this picture. Looks like four recently hatched chicks. Previous broods this year had 6 chicks so I’ll be surprised if this is not the last brood this year for this pair.

Ken

How can such ugly little creatures go up to be so beautiful.

The elusive painted bunting pecking seeds from my cockscomb flowers. Right place, right time!

bestgear wrote: ↑Fri Jul 25, 2025 10:44 am The elusive painted bunting pecking seeds from my cockscomb flowers. Right place, right time!

Excellent catch Tm!

Whistling Duck and chicks

This 'lill guy was all over me on my camping trip. He landed on my cup and dipped his beak in my carrot juice. Then he landed on my camera when I tried to take a few pictures of him, ... then right on my head!

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 4:13 am This 'lill guy was all over me on my camping trip. He landed on my cup and dipped his beak in my carrot juice. Then he landed on my camera when I tried to take a few pictures of him, ... then right on my head!

Man Top that's cooler that a ice cube at the north pole. x10
I've not had any recording on my merlin app. the last few times I've tried, then this morning I got these. The bobwhite is more than likely a booboo.

bighomer wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 2:47 pm

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 4:13 am

Man Top that's cooler that a ice cube at the north pole. x10
I've not had any recording on my merlin app. the last few times I've tried, then this morning I got these. The bobwhite is more than likely a booboo.

Thanks B.H. I checked a couple of the leads ... nothing so far....

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 4:13 am This 'lill guy was all over me on my camping trip. He landed on my cup and dipped his beak in my carrot juice. Then he landed on my camera when I tried to take a few pictures of him, ... then right on my head!

Good pictures!

I knew that wasn't a Midwest bird, so I ran one of your pics by the Merlin photo id, Black Headed Grosbeak (female). That's a new one on me. Maybe you look like a male Black Headed Grosbeak.

I think I have a little Green Heron in first picture.

A Great Blue Heron.

These birds were at the pond I walk around daily.

FRJ wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 11:59 pm I think I have a little Green Heron in first picture.

A Great Blue Heron.

These birds were at the pond I walk around daily.

Those are really nice pictures, Joe, always appreciate you sharing your experiences around that pond. I hear the distinctive sound of the little Green Heron much more often than I see one, good capture.

Waukonda wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 11:46 pm

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 4:13 am

Good pictures!

I knew that wasn't a Midwest bird, so I ran one of your pics by the Merlin photo id, Black Headed Grosbeak (female). That's a new one on me. Maybe you look like a male Black Headed Grosbeak.

Ike, I don't know if I look like a male Black Headed Grosbeak... ... but that is the most attention I have received from any type of female in about 7 years ....

Waukonda wrote: ↑Fri Sep 05, 2025 12:33 am Those are really nice pictures, Joe, always appreciate you sharing your experiences around that pond. I hear the distinctive sound of the little Green Heron much more often than I see one, good capture.

Thank you, Ike.

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 4:13 am This 'lill guy was all over me on my camping trip. He landed on my cup and dipped his beak in my carrot juice. Then he landed on my camera when I tried to take a few pictures of him, ... then right on my head!

Great catch!

FRJ wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 11:59 pm I think I have a little Green Heron in first picture.

A Great Blue Heron.

These birds were at the pond I walk around daily.

Nice duo.

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Fri Sep 05, 2025 12:42 am

Waukonda wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 11:46 pm

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 4:13 am

Maybe you look like a male Black Headed Grosbeak.

Ike, I don't know if I look like a male Black Headed Grosbeak... ... but that is the most attention I have received from any type of female in about 7 years ....

Well, at least that's a start!

doglegg wrote: ↑Fri Sep 05, 2025 1:03 am Nice duo.

Thank you, doglegg.

Hummers have been busy this summer.

bighomer wrote: ↑Fri Sep 05, 2025 12:11 pm Hummers have been busy this summer.

Sure wish we had more Hummingbirds like you do. They are so interesting to watch and listen to if you are sitting near the feeder. We never have more than 3 or 4 at a time. I recall a trip to Miss Joy's little brother's home in Blairsville, Georgia and we got to see probably 50 or more in their yard at one time, quite a sight. Our kids were young and that is one of their good memories.
Treefarmer

Just got in from mowing and thought about some interesting ornithology type pictures that were on the game camera last month.
A turkey vulture was trying to find something on the feeder. When we put some more corn in it a week or so later. we found a bird nest under the cover, with the skeleton of a tiny bird inside. A Carolina Wren was nesting there earlier,under the metal cover, probably a little one that too weak to make it.
The amazing thing to me is the buzzard could smell that one, tiny little bird! God's creation and His critters are worth watching! Treefarmer

TF, one of my all-time favorite literary characters is Hank the Cowdog. Haven’t read one in years but use to read those books to our boys, and later to grandkids. Two frequently recurring characters in Hank’s adventures are two buzzards (turkey vultures) named Wallace (aka Pa) and Junior, who are funny yet philosophical at the same time.

Always liked reading those books to the kids. They are cleverly written to be understood on two levels, for both children and adults. I think I got as much out of them as the kids did.

Ken